Reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary Texts

Month: June 2014

The story begins with Abraham’s servant introducing himself and telling his story to Rebekah’s family, in an effort to convince them that Rebekah should marry Isaac. He testifies to all the blessings that Abraham has received from God. This portrays God as one who has a history of blessing Abraham. The story understands Abraham’s wealth to result from the blessing of God. It emphasizes that God gives success as blessing, but that success is a judgment of one’s faith. The servant asks Laban and Bethuel to give their daughter to become Isaac’s wife. They respond directly. The author concludes the story in a brief and direct way. The servant identifies Isaac as the “master,” an indication of the transition from Abraham to Isaac. The servant’s retelling the story one more time becomes an occasion for setting the next stage of the story. Isaac and Rebekah are married, and what might have been just an arranged marriage grows into a love-story. The veil may be a signal from Rebekah that she accepts Isaac as her husband; her presence in Sarah’s tent signifies her new role as matriarch of this family.

This story highlights the theme of divine guidance, especially in the servant’s prayers and in his rehearsal of earlier events. The retelling constitutes a public testimony to the presence and activity of God, to which Laban and Bethuel respond with their own witness. But the servant remains anonymous in the story. Perhaps that is the mark of true service to God.

Another piece to this story is the indication that Abraham is determined to ensure that his descendents will not intermarry with the Canaanite people. Isaac’s wife must exhibit the virtues of faith and obedience. This is the reason that the story goes to great lengths to set out Rebekah’s outstanding character. So, this is also a story of Rebekah’s response to God’s call. Rebekah serves as the epitome of God’s servants—strong, compassionate, loving, and faithful.

The focus in this story is not so much what anyone gets but what it means to be a loving and faithful servant toward God. Rather than looking at the “and they all lived happily ever after” notion where God is depicted as some sort of divine Santa Claus character that gives good little boys and girls what they want, this is the story of God’s involvement in people’s lives. God is not picking and choosing what will happen in our lives; God is walking with us through life itself. And when our lives intertwine with the God who loves us and whose only desire is that we love God, our lives will indeed be blessed. But blessedness is a much larger meaning than just getting what we want; it’s about becoming who God envisions us to be. It’s about declaring one’s dependence upon God to walk the journey before us.

Below is a “retelling” of this story by Rabbi David Zauderer:

Abraham and Sarah, like all good Jewish parents after them, were getting worried about their son, Isaac. He was already pushing 40 with no good marriage prospects in sight. So they decided to send their trusted servant Eliezer to find them a daughter-in-law from their old hometown. Eliezer travels the distance, and when he approaches the watering hole outside town, he makes the following prayer to the Almighty: “When I approach the well to get a drink, if a young girl shall offer me fresh water from her pitcher, and, without my asking, also offer to draw more water to quench the thirst of all my camels — she is the one who is fitting to marry into the illustrious family of Abraham and Sarah. So, please, God, help me be successful in finding the right girl.” Well, to make a long story short, along comes Rebeccah and offers Eliezer and his camels plenty of water to drink, and she then consents to travel back to Canaan with Eliezer in order to marry Isaac. What an unbelievable story! I mean, would you pick a spouse for a lifetime just because you bumped into her at a bar, and she offered you a drink and even filled up your car with gas??!! Let’s get real!

The truth is that we are being taught a very valuable lesson here in what it means to be a true friend. You see, in Judaism, it’s not the dog that’s your best friend—it’s your spouse. The Talmud tells us that when the Torah writes, “Love your friend as you love yourself”, it is referring to your spouse, your true best friend. Who Eliezer was looking for as an appropriate wife for Isaac, was someone who had an exquisite sensitivity to the needs of others, like a true friend should. Because the very core of a good husband/wife relationship is that they be each other’s best friend. Isaac’s wife must be a person who will not only respond to her husband’s request for help, but will anticipate his unspoken needs and respond to them. And when Rebeccah not only gave Eliezer to drink, but anticipated the need he had to water the camels—without his asking—he knew that she possessed the sensitivity that’s so basic to a good relationship. (From “Who is Man’s Best Friend”, by Rabbi David Zauderer, available at http://www.tfdixie.com/parshat/chayei/021.htm, accessed 29 June 2011)

What meaning does this passage hold for you?

What do you think it means that the servant remains anonymous?

How does this story speak to the “Gospel of Success” mentality of today?

This appears to be an unusual passage for Paul. The way he develops the thoughts even beyond this reading suggests that he is saying something stronger than just being puzzled by his own behavior. He is referring, instead, to what could be called “sins of ignorance”. It is a paradox of seeing the right thing to do, delighting in it and wanting to perform it, and yet discovering that what is performed is not it. It happens to the best of us!

Paul is talking, here, about Israel as a whole. As a nation, Israel delighted in Torah formally and officially, but was always aware when Torah was not followed. Paul goes on, assuming that Torah is not at fault but, rather, those who should be following Torah. The claim that it is no longer “I”, but sin, is interesting. This concept of the indwelling of sin is new. This makes even more explicit the dualistic idea of good vs. evil. The assumption is not that humans are not responsible for their actions (i.e. “sin” made me do it), though. Every human, though, has a sense of a higher good. But what Paul is leading up to is that, of course, we are rescued from this sinful state through Jesus Christ.

Essentially, Paul claims that it is a faithful relationship, rather than adherence to the law, that ultimately changes people. I don’t think that he is ignoring or discounting the law; he’s just saying that it’s not the sole measure of one’s relationship with God. Our faith cannot be “proven” by right living; Right living is a product of our faith.

This whole passage could be a pretty slippery slope, so to speak, for those who would like to get out of taking responsibility for their actions. Paul is in no way saying that he is not to be blamed for his own actions. Perhaps he is just acknowledging that all of us walk that line between good and evil, between light and shadows, between who we know we should be and who we end up being. It is NOT a “devil made me do it” type of attitude. First century believers had no notion of some outside entity pulling us away from God. It is rather a constant and ongoing struggle to be who we are called to be. You can call it evil; you can call it your “shadow side”; you can call it just “messing up royally”. Whatever it is, it is being less than yourself. It is being less than human. In Jesus Christ, we were shown how to be fully human—compassionate, righteous, forgiving, loving. Anything else is less than ourselves.

Every religion has something like this—the Hindus call it good Karma; the Buddhists refer to it as being “one with the Truth”; we Wesleyans call it “going on to perfection”. Interestingly enough, Islam identifies the conflict with the human soul as “jihad”. The Arabic root means to “strive, effort, labor”. Lesser jihad defines the kind of struggle in defense of oneself (i.e. military struggles). But greater jihad is the fighting of evil in one’s own heart. It refers to an inward transformation over one’s ego. I think Paul referred to it as victory over sin and death. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

This passage begins by referring to a particular “generation”. The ones to whom Jesus is referring are his contemporaries, probably the well-learned ones of the faith. But, of course, they just don’t get it. The reference to children in the market place probably refers to children not getting along with each other. In Near Eastern customs, this reference is probably referring to gender roles. There was the custom of a round dance accompanied by a flute that was performed at weddings by men. Conversely, the act of mourning was considered “women’s work”.

This small parable is used to describe John the Baptist (whose message inaugurating Jesus’ message was riddled with cynicism and judgment) as a funeral dance. Jesus, on the other hand, was compared to the joy of the wedding dance. But, regardless, neither is being accepted by this “generation” who thinks they know best. Jesus then gives thanks to God for “hiding” things from the wise and the intelligent. It is not that God intentionally hides things but, rather, that these so-called “wise and intelligent” ones are too wrapped up in their other thoughts to be open to realizing who and what Jesus is and what his message means. No one can know everything about Jesus, but by being open to the wisdom of Jesus, one will gain the freedom of depending upon Christ.

This is perhaps a note of warning to the “religious wise”, those who think that they know everything that God envisions and everything that is God. The ending of this passage, truly one of the veritable favorites of the Bible (St. Paul’s has a whole window around it…but you have to turn around when you’re sitting in the sanctuary or become a clergy!), is not a calling to worship Jesus as an idol. It is a calling to learn a whole new way of being even in the midst of the perils and pains that may accompany this life. It is not a way of rules and demands; it is the Way of Love and Joy even in this life. It is a release of ourselves that we might rest in the Way that is Christ. True wisdom is gained through repentance, through turning away from ourselves and toward God. It is those burdens that we are being asked to lay down that we might have rest—the burden of ourselves, the burden of trying to hold together a life that is not real, that is not who we are supposed to be. It is declaring the true freedom to which we are called, a way of total oneness and dependence upon God for our very life.

Alyce McKenzie explains it like this:

In order to answer Jesus’ invitation to participate in his deeds of power and his life of joy, we have to lay down certain burdens that we have mistaken for blessings.

I can’t help but think of the time worn anecdote about catching monkeys in the wild. When trying to catch a monkey for the zoo trappers take a small cage out into the jungle. Inside the cage they place a bunch of bananas and then they close it, locking the bananas inside. A monkey coming along and spotting the bananas, will reach through the narrow rungs of the cage and grab a banana. But he can’t get it out. And no matter how hard he tries—twisting his hand back and forth—he can’t pull his hand through the rungs while hanging on to the banana. And even with the approaching trappers he won’t let go of the banana. For the trappers, it’s simply a matter then, of coming up and grabbing the monkey.

Jesus instructs would-be disciples to lay down the burden of lesser obligations and get in the boat with him (Mt. 8:18-22). He instructs the Twelve to travel light and to divest themselves of the burden of fear as they go out to spread his message (Mt. 10:5-32). He encourages the religious leaders to lay down the burden of Sabbath healing laws to allow a man with a withered hand to find wholeness (Mt. 12:9-14).

To be told we can lay down our burdens sounds so sweet, until we realize that, in Jesus’ eyes, many things we view as blessings are actually burdens. These would include, both in his time and ours, judging others, viewing oneself as occupying a superior position to others and entitled to a more comfortable life with more material possessions, and making a vocation of excluding and avoiding the unclean and the sinner, those on the bottom rung of the social ladder. To those who view those things as their birthright and most cherished possessions, to be required to divest oneself of them sounds like sacrifice. And it is. But it is on the way to a life of being forgiven, being refreshed, and being empowered to live with the humility, discernment, courage, and compassion that is the essence of Wisdom.

Wisdom in Person, the real deal, stands before us in Matthew 11:16. His “deeds” include healing, feeding, exorcizing, forgiving, and teaching us the Way. The question is, will we choose to participate in them? Will we allow Wisdom to be vindicated by her deeds as they show up in our lives?

I think we can say that democracy is a form of government that demands more virtue of its citizens than any other form of government…So let us term freedom of choice less a virtue than a necessity, a precondition to real freedom, which is the ability to make choices that are generous, loving, and wise. Our wills are not free when they will what is bigoted, narrow, ungenerous. Our wills are only free when they can will the will of a loving God. “They will be done on earth.” (William Sloane Coffin, Credo, 80-81)

Jesus has a different understanding of personal freedom. Freedom is not the capacity to be what you are not, but the capacity to be fully who you already are, to develop your inherent self as much as God allows. Spiritual and true freedom is wanting to do what you have to do to become who you are. (Richard Rohr)

We know well the “honor roll” of nation states and mighty empires that run all the way from Egypt and Assyria to Britain and Japan and Russia—and finally us. We know about the capacity for order that they have and the accompanying capacity for exploitation and violence. We know that the great powers, while held in your hand, are tempted to autonomy and arrogance. In the midst of war, we ponder modern empire.

In these moments, we hold our own resource-devouring empire up in your presence. For the moment, we pray for it: forgiveness for its violence, authority for its vision of freedom, chastening for its distorted notion of peace.

We pray, for the moment, that our very own empire may be a vehicle for your good purposes. Beyond that, we pray the old hope of our faith: that the kingdoms of this world would become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. We do not doubt that you will reign forever and ever. Along with all waiting powers, we sing gladly: Forever and ever, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Remember that Genesis is a book about not only the beginning of the world but also the beginnings of God’s interaction with that world. It is a patchwork of traditions that is begin retold in light of a specific context and how the image of God is seen through that context.

This story is one of the best-known and one of the hardest to understand. In fact, taken at face value, it is disconcerting, disenchanting, and downright shocking. But we need to understand the context from which this story probably came. While it was probably from a pre-Israelite setting, suggesting that it originated from within the circle and intimacy of a family, the story was handed down for generations upon generations before it was even written down. But think about those who lived during the time of the exile hearing this story. What they heard in this story was a God who put them to the test, called them forth from their continuing faith, and delivered them with renewed promises. What they saw was their own life and, in it, a God who provides. Because, you see, during the exile, it would have been very easy to assume that God was no longer available. They had lost everything that they knew. Where was God? But this story says, “here is God!…the God of new possibilities and renewed life.” From that standpoint, it is an important story in that tradition.

The Hebrew term for it is Aqedah, “the binding”. The Arabic term for it is Dhabih. Arabic? You see, this story is also in the writings of Islam. But in that case, the story is often told of the Binding of Ishmael, Abraham’s other son, rather than Isaac. So, the whole point is that it is a story set in the context of the whole story of Abraham. And, it is apparently important enough to be told in multiple traditions.

The narrator states that God “tested” Abraham. If Abraham were to carry out God’s instructions to sacrifice his son, then the promises that God gave would be nullified. The heir upon whom the future depended would be gone. Abraham obeyed—binding the boy and raising the knife. And just at the right moment, God stops him. God provides.

Now, we need to realize that this is not merely a story of filicide or, even worse, a God gone wrong. Sacrifices were a normal part of that society. In fact, human sacrifices of the firstborn were not only acceptable, but an honored tradition. So, for its first hearers, this story makes all the sense in the world. And then, God steps in and stops it—against all odds, against all culture, against the norm. But does just looking at this as evidence that God provides sort of oversimplify it? I mean, it appears to be the point. After all, Abraham makes this pretty explicit at the end by naming the place of this encounter “The Lord will provide.” But is that the only point?

Throughout the Scriptures, there is a rhythm of calling, responding, and testing. Why the test? There are two words for test in Hebrew. One denotes testing to see whether or not standards are being maintained, much like our tests in schools. The other is used for experimenting–pushing an entity beyond its present limits to see how much it can bear. We might compare this to a chemical test where you combine elements into something else. A person who undergoes a test like this might succeed or fail. That’s not really the point. But one thing is certain—he or she emerges changed, either shattered or risen to new heights. Either way, one will not be the same as before. This is the word for testing that is used in this Scripture. Testing, here, has nothing to do with right or wrong. It has to do with Lech- lecha, the Hebrew for “to go”, “to move”, as in to a different place in one’s life. The test, you see, had little to do with whether or not Abraham would sacrifice Isaac, but, rather, whether or not he had moved to the point where he could truly trust God.

I don’t think God deliberately creates difficult circumstances in our lives. And God has never implied that we have to earn God’s love or get it right for it to happen. Contrary to the way many interpret this story, God does not call us to blind obedience. God simply calls us to grow into who we are called to be.

But I think many of us spend our lives as if we’re preparing for a test. We try very hard to learn right from wrong, to know the right answers, to prove that we’re right, and to do the correct things. And we miss the opportunities God gives us for lech-lecha, to move beyond where we are into the place we are meant to be.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow claims that the best contemporary midrash to the Aqedah comes from Esther Ticktin. She says that the “strongest imperatives of Torah are to rear children and to break idols. What happens when we turn our children into idols? We must break our idolization of them—kill the image of of them we have erected…This is what God asked of Abraham: Lift him up to me: But Abraham had so totally made Isaac into his idol that he couldn’t fathom how to do it without killing him. The lifted knife was the breaking of the idol.” That was all God wanted—for Abraham to break the cast of any idols that he might have set between himself and God. God wanted Abraham to realize once and for all his own faith to trust in what God was doing in his life. The question is, then, do each of us have enough faith in ourselves to have that level of faith in God? (From “Is This Going to Be on the Test”, sermon by S. Williams, 06/29/2008)

What meaning does this passage provide for you?

What do you think this says about Abraham? Does Abraham obey because he is told to do so or because he trusts God? What is the difference?

The first couple of verses provide a bridge from the previous verses to what follows. It sounds like a logic argument: IF the reign of sin has been broken in Christ, and IF the Christian truly live in Christ, THEN sin has no business continuing to rule. In other words, if one is in Christ, sin is not an issue.

Remember that the emphasis of Romans has much to do with God’s righteousness. Here, God’s righteousness is revealed apart from the law. It is instead justified by faith. Beginning in verse 15, Paul lays out a choice between two obediences, between two loyalties—a slave to Christ or a slave to the world. The difference is in the slavemasters—one perpetuates slavery, one initiates freedom. The Greek word for “slave” is doulos. It can mean “slave”; it can also mean “servant”, perhaps the distinction between enslavement and service.

The point is that we have changed masters—from sin to obedience to God. Obedience here is not, as we often assume, merely following rules. God is much more nuanced than that, I supposed! Obedience is not following rules; it is living within God’s will, God’s vision of what we are created to be. Obedience is the freedom to become who you are. This is true liberation. This is transformation.

And yet, we still allow ourselves to become enslaved—to things, to security, to nice houses and nice cars, to too many clothes and too many pairs of shoes (Really, can you ever have too many shoes? No, I’m [sort of] just kidding!!!)The point is, we have sacrificed the freedom that God gives us not to just what we want, not to fall into step with everyone else, but to truly listen and follow God’s will for our lives.

What meaning does this passage provide for you?

What does “freedom” mean for you in this passage? (Think about this concept of “freedom” as it relates to the Genesis passage. What “freedom” did Abraham have? Or, for that matter, Isaac? Or, for that matter, God?

How does the whole idea of “competing slaveries” set for you?

How does this idea of transformation speak to the idea that “God accepts us as we are”?

This is a conclusion of a speech that authorizes and empowers the disciples as representatives of Christ. There is an implicit claim that Christ represents God and this passage, then, deals not with specific “12” disciples, but with the nature of discipleship. The whole idea of persecution is inherently unfamiliar to us in our society. After all, for good or bad, many see us as a “Christian nation”. (I use the term loosely.) But in this context, they WERE, on some level, being persecuted for their beliefs.

Keep in mind that in the writer of Matthew’s Gospel’s theology, God is the faithful creator and redeemer of all of Creation. Creation and eschatology are not alternatives, but complement the God who embraces all. These rules, which for us seem rigorous and unforgiving, were set out to distinguish true missioners from what we would call “entrepreneurs”, who were set out to make money for their preaching and their good works. It is a matter of discerning true disciples from the false prophets of the day. For us, it’s a matter of living as true disciples, not holding anything back, and only giving God the time and the part of ourselves that we can spare.

I don’t think Jesus was “anti-family”, so to speak. I think I would assume that loving and caring for our relatives and having a good relationship with them was the expectation. But, it’s back to the Genesis passage. Was God trying to make Abraham realize that even those relationships do not come “before God”? The truth is that they are God’s wonderful gift to us and part of our relationship with God. They are part of who we are called to be—not to idolize or put ahead of who we are before God but to take it into us and figure out what it is about that person or persons that God is using for our lives.

Next week my 22-year-old son, Matthew, and I are going on a mission trip to Casa Esperanza, a children’s dental clinic and medical center in Puerto Lempira on the Mosquito Coast of eastern Honduras. Getting there involves three plane flights, a cab ride, and a bus trip. Reading through the “Instructions for Volunteers,” handout, I learned about all kinds of details Jesus doesn’t go into in his “Instructions for Volunteers” in Matthew 10:5-15. Jesus doesn’t go into airport taxes, the expected tips for people who handle your luggage, safety, appropriate attire, passports (your passport can’t expire less than six months after you plan to leave Honduras), where and how to exchange money, immunizations, luggage weight limits, malaria pills, insurance, and liability forms. Jesus’ “Instructions for Volunteers” simply says “Go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Proclaim the good news that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.” He just tells the Twelve where to go and what to do.

My Honduran mission trip handout also includes a “what to pack for Honduras” list. It includes all kinds of items Jesus doesn’t mention in his packing list in Matthew 10:9-10: ear plugs, hat, motion sickness pills, flash light, small battery operated fan, rain poncho, water bottle, camera, water shoes, sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or above, mosquito repellent, antiseptic hand wipes, an extra pair of shoes in case one gets muddy, snack food, and several other items I won’t bore you with. But if you were going you’d want to know about them.

I am very grateful for the detailed “what to pack” list for Honduras. But I can’t help but compare it to Jesus’ “what not to pack” list in Matthew 10:9-10. No money. No bag for the journey, no extra tunic or pair of sandals, not even a staff.

I don’t know that I would want to go on a mission trip whose team leader was Jesus. I picture Jesus as the airline employee who, just as you are dragging your roller board onto the plane stops you and says, “I’m sorry you’re going to have to check that.” But what he really means is, “You’ll never see this roller board again. Now get on the plane.” Without the preventive medications and small comforts of daily life, I am afraid a Jesus-led mission team would all come back home sunburned, dehydrated, and with blisters on our feet.

There is one more sheet in my mission trip handout packet. It’s called the “Mission Trip Participant Pledge.”

To go on the trip I need to agree to do the following:

I promise to . . .

Lift up Jesus Christ with my thoughts, words, and actions.

Maintain a servant attitude toward the people our team serve and toward team members.

Refrain from negativism and complaining. Travel and ministry in Honduras may present unexpected and even undesired circumstances. Your cooperation and flexibility will make the challenges less stressful.

Remember that I am a servant of Jesus Christ called to be in ministry. I will serve as best I can so that both the spiritual purpose and the task of the mission will be accomplished.

At the bottom of the “Mission Trip Participant Pledge” is a place for me to sign and date the document.

Wouldn’t those four promises be good to make every day of discipleship wherever in the world we are? Because even armed with a battery-operated fan, a bag of Planters salted peanuts, and some antiseptic hand wipes, we will experience “unexpected and even undesired circumstances” in our journey with Jesus. When we do, can we count on others to welcome and receive us? Can they count on us to welcome and receive them?

I saw an interview with actor Michael Douglas recently on Oprah. He spoke of his relationship with his father, Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, and told the following story.

Dad called me the other night. He said, “Michael, I was watching myself in an old movie earlier tonight and I didn’t remember making it.” “Well, Dad, you made 75 movies and you are 94. Don’t be so rough on yourself.” “No, Michael, you didn’t let me finish. I realized halfway through that I was watching one of your movies.”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if certain aspects of our lives and ways of relating to others were all but indistinguishable from Jesus? If they reminded others of Jesus, just a little bit? We seek, every day, in every place, on this mission trip of life, to be emissaries of Jesus: representatives of Jesus who welcome others as if they were Jesus and who relate to others in the spirit of Jesus?

Who is the representative of Jesus? New Testament scholar Craig Keener, reflecting on 10:39-39 in relation to 10:40-42, concludes that “The one who relinquishes control of his or her own life (10:38-39) becomes a representative of Jesus.” (Keener, 211) Easier said than done, but we do so with confidence in our leader and the goal that, when we encounter others on our trip, we’ll welcome the Christ in them and they’ll welcome the Christ they see in us.

How do you view this considering that fact that their being persecuted for their beliefs was a normal occurrence.

What does this say about the idea of “true missioners” as opposed to “entrepreneurs” of our faith?

What images of righteousness and following the will of God does this bring about for you?

Some Quotes for Further Reflection:

The most important thing in this world is not where we stand but in what direction we move. (Johann von Goethe, 1749-1832)

Humanly speaking, we could interpret the Sermon on the Mount in a thousand different ways. Jesus knows only one possibility: simple surrender and obedience. He does not want it to be discussed as an ideal; he really means us to get on with it. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945)

Whatever is honored will be cultivated. (Plato, 424-348, BCE)

Closing

That there is a planet circling the sun, which we call earth, our first, wonderful home.

Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose mercies last forever.

That the earth is full of loving gifts, beautiful scenes, and complex creatures.

Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose mercies last forever.

That from earliest days God spoke to people and called them into faith and service.

Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose mercies last forever.

That God’s people are called to be friends of the earth and stewards of its bounty.

Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose mercies last forever.

That God came uniquely to us in Christ Jesus, bearing our sins and healing our diseases.

Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose mercies last forever.

That we belong to a community called the church, where Christ lives on in love.

Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose mercies last forever.

That no evil can finally win out against God, and that complete reconciliation is assured.

Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose mercies last forever.

That through Christ’s ministry even death has lost its sting and the grave its victory.

Give thanks to the Lord who is good, whose mercies last forever.

That we are surrounded by a crowd of heavenly friends, whose lives are hid with Christ.

About Journey to Penuel

After Jacob wrestled with God, we are told that he named the place Peniel ("I have wrestled with God"). And the place is called Penuel ("We have wrestled with God.")
This is a blog of weekly reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary Texts. I hope that, like Jacob and others, you will question and wrestle until you see the face of God.

Come, O thou Traveller unknown, Whom still I hold, but cannot see! My company before is gone, And I am left alone with Thee; With Thee all night I mean to stay, And wrestle till the break of day. (Charles Wesley)

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